Troubles of the Past
by DimitriEliStarkLover
Summary: When Rose and Dimitri go to visit his family in Homecoming, they assume the worst would be that they don't believe their story about Dimitri's transformation. But when they return, they realize more troubles await them in Baia. Will Dimitri be able to confront his mixed feelings about being back in Baia? Can he protect Rose from the troubles that have lingered from her first visit?
1. Homecoming

**IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HOMECOMING BY RICHELLE MEAD THAN YOU MIGHT BE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT I AM REFERRING TO THROUGHOUT THE STORY. **

**Homecoming is a short story written by Richelle Mead. It was published last August, in the book Foretold. Foretold is a book that many authors got together to add their own short stories too. Richelle Mead added the continuation of Rose and Dimitri. Having them visit Dimitri's family. That was what it was about. I would recommend reading it, because it's only like twenty pages but it does help out by furthering the story line.**

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************DISCLAIMER************

**I do not own this whole first chapter! EXCEPT the last line! This is all Richelle Mead's work! I am going to spin off of this chapter and from here on out it will be my own work and plot! She owns the rights to this chapter and the characters! NOT ME!**

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**Anyways. Now that, that's all over. I am back! I hope this little quick story will help you guys with the void of _Protecting Lissa_. I will get it done. I just need to rewrite the chapters I lost. I hope you guys aren't mad, and if you haven't been my message update on the story, please go read it. I will let you know on both of these stories, when I will be uploading another chapter of _Protecting Lissa_. Let me know what you guys think about this story. Too much? Too little? Not what you thought it was? Let me know! Read and Review!**

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I hadn't expected to be back in Russia so soon. I certainly didn't want to be.

It wasn't that I had anything against the place. It was a nice enough country, with rainbow-colored architecture and vodka that could double as rocket fuel. I was fine with those things. My problem was that the last time I'd been here, I'd nearly gotten killed (on multiple occasions) and had ended up being drugged and kidnapped by vampires. That's enough to turn you off to any place.

And yet, as my plane began circling for its landing in Moscow, I knew coming back here was definitely the right thing to do.

"Do you see that, Rose?" Dimitri tapped the window's glass, and although I couldn't see his face, the note of wonder in his voice told me plenty. "St. Basil's."

I leaned over him, just barely catching a glimpse of the famous multicolored cathedral that looked more like something you'd find in Candy Land, not the Kremlin. To me, it was another tourist attraction, but to him, I knew it meant so much more. This was his homecoming, the return to a land he had believed he'd never see again in the sun, let alone through the eyes of the living. That building, the cities here … they weren't just pretty postcard shots for him. They represented more than that. They represented his second chance at life.

Smiling, I settled back in my seat. I had the middle one, but there was no way it could be more uncomfortable than his. Putting a six-foot-seven-inch man by the window in coach was just cruel. He hadn't complained this entire time, though. He never did.

"Too bad we won't have time to hang out here," I said. Moscow was just a layover for us. "We'll have to save all our sightseeing for Siberia. You know, tundra. Polar bears."

Dimitri turned from the window, and I expected to be chastised for furthering stereotypes. Instead, I could tell from his expression that he hadn't heard anything after "Siberia." Morning light illuminated the sculpted features of his face and shone off his sleek brown hair. None of it could compare to the radiance within him.

"It's been so long since I've seen Baia," he murmured, his dark eyes filled with memories. "So long since I've seen them. Do you think …" He glanced at me, betraying the first glimpse of nervousness I'd observed since beginning this trip. "Do you think they'll be glad to see me?"

I squeezed his hand and felt a small pang in my chest. It was so unusual to see Dimitri uncertain about anything. I could count on my hand the number of times I'd ever witnessed him truly vulnerable. From the moment we'd met, he'd always stood out as one of the most decisive, confident people I'd known. He was always in motion, never afraid to take on any threat, even if it meant risking his own life. Even now, if some bloodthirsty monster sprang out of the cockpit, Dimitri would calmly jump up and battle it while armed only with the safety card in his seat pocket. Impossible, dire fights were of no concern to him. But seeing his family after he'd spent time as an evil, undead vampire? Yeah, that scared him.

"Of course they'll be glad," I assured him, marveling at the change in our relationship. I'd started off as his student, in need of his reassurance. I'd graduated to become his lover and equal. "They know we're coming. Hell, you should've seen the party they threw when they thought you were dead, comrade. Imagine what they'll do when they find out you're actually alive."

He gave me one of those small, rare smiles of his, the kind that made me feel warm all over. "Let's hope so," he said, turning to gaze back out the window. "Let's hope so."

The only sights we saw in Moscow were inside its airport while we waited to catch our next flight. That one took us to Omsk, a middle-sized city in Siberia. From there, we rented a car and made the rest of our journey on land—no planes went where we were going. It was a beautiful drive, the land full of life and greenery that proved all my tundra jokes wrong. Dimitri's mood fluctuated between nostalgia and anxiety as we traveled, and I found myself restless to reach our destination. The sooner we got there, the sooner he'd see he had nothing to worry about.

Baia was a little less than a day's drive from Omsk and looked pretty much the same as it had on my last visit. It was out of the way enough that people rarely stumbled across it by accident. If you found yourself in Baia, there was a reason. And more often than not, that reason had to do with the large number of dhampirs living there. Like Dimitri and me, these dhampirs were half-human, half-vampire. Unlike Dimitri and me, most of these dhampirs had chosen to live apart from the Moroi—living, magic-wielding vampires—and instead mingled with human society. Dimitri and I were both guardians, pledged to guard the Moroi from Strigoi: the evil, undead vampires who killed to sustain their immortal existence.

Days were longer during this part of summer, and darkness had only just begun to fall when we reached Dimitri's family's house. Strigoi rarely ventured into Baia itself, but they liked to stalk the roads leading into town. The fleeting rays of sunlight ensured our safety and gave Dimitri a good view of the house. Even once he'd turned off the car, he sat for a long time, gazing out at the old, two-story structure. Red and gold light bathed it, giving it the appearance of something otherworldly. I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Showtime, comrade. They're waiting for you."

He sat for a few moments in silence, then gave a resolute nod and put on the kind of expression I'd seen him wear into battle. We left the car and had barely made it halfway through the yard when the front door burst open. Bright light spilled into the dusky shadows, and a young female silhouette appeared.

"Dimka!"

If a Strigoi had sprung out and attacked, Dimitri would have had to respond instantly. But seeing his youngest sister stunned his lightning-fast reflexes, and he could only stand there as Viktoria flung her arms around him and began uttering a torrent of Russian words too fast for me to follow.

It took Dimitri a few more shocked moments to come to life, but then he returned her fierce embrace, answering her back in Russian. I stood there awkwardly until Viktoria noticed me.

"Oh. It's you."


	2. AUTHOR'S NOTE! Please Read!

**Hey guys. If anyone is actually reading my story anymore than this is for you.**

**I went to Hawaii at the beginning of March for February vacation. It was really fun but I didn't have access to a computer or internet to write so that is why my story has been delayed. I thought I had lost my SD card, in Hawaii, that I save all of my work onto. (Weird choice, I know.) Anyways, so I had to leave for another trip to California for my sister's hockey national championships. I will be back by Tuesday, and I will post as soon as I can to all of my stories. Either way, I was packing for my trip and I found the SD Card in my suitcase left over from my other trip. So I had started to rewrite all of my work that I lost. It sucks because now I've wasted time. So I will continue to write but I won't be able to upload until Wednesday, at the earliest. I will upload before the weekend. Send a Review or a PM to let me know if you are still keeping tabs on this story. I will upload either way because I know most readers don't read stories that aren't finished. Others will keep tabs on stories but won't review, and I hate it when others don't finish their stories. So I will keep uploading. It's just this year has been crazy event after another. **

**Thanks for tuning in to this. I will be deleting this message when I end up posting the next chapter. Sorry to get your hopes up, if I did, about a possible new chapter. I promise to work on my oldest stories first, and focus on working my way through each of them. I have one chapter for each for sure, and hopefully another one by this weekend. Let me know what you guys think about my stories. Check out my others as well. I will get better with writing, now that summer is almost here, and April vacation is in two weeks. **

**~DimitriEliStarkLover~**


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